Chapter 999 'Dead Man's Money'
Golden morning light shines down, and a chilly wind blows up the cliff.
Wild grasses stand twisted and upright in the cracks of the rocks, accepting the pressure of the cold wind as usual.
Ji An and the other person floated in the void, and the raging wind around their bodies subsided, turning from unruly to docile.
Before him was an irregularly shaped oval opening, ten zhang high and about fifteen zhang wide.
The rocks at the cave entrance have no sharp edges and are blackish-red in color, quite different from the rocks outside.
The Hermit of the Five Mountains flew close to the cave entrance and landed, reaching out to touch the rock wall, saying:
"This color is formed after being soaked in blood for a long time, probably after multiple beast tides."
The Primordial Mine has two exits, one of which is located on a cliff. The main force of the beast tide consists of vampire monsters that resemble bats.
The beast tide in this ancient mine is different from the monster hordes in the mountains; it erupts suddenly with almost no warning.
Ji An then landed and said:
"The beast tide isn't scary for us. Let's go in."
The so-called beast tide is an attack by a massive number of demonic beasts. At the Three Flower Realm level, there can't be too many demonic beasts. Even if there are many low-level demonic beasts, it's just a breeze to them.
The Hermit of the Five Mountains extended his divine sense to sense the texture of the stone and said:
"Your Majesty, the aura of the Primordial Ancient Mine is mixed and difficult to use the Five Elements Escape Technique, especially deep underground."
Please wait a moment at the cave entrance while I test it out. I'll be right back.
Upon seeing the emperor nod, he activated his escape technique and descended.
Just a quarter of an hour later, the Hermit of the Five Mountains returned looking disheveled, and said with a wry smile:
"With my abilities, I can barely escape to the second level. Your Majesty should be able to escape to the third level."
The aura there was peculiar, seemingly not belonging to the Yin or Yang category, and it greatly interfered with perception and the ability to control escape techniques.
Using his innate ability to escape, he traveled downwards for about twenty miles before entering the third level of the mine.
Although I knew this information from the materials, I was still very shocked after actually testing it.
It should be noted that the monsters lurking in the third-level mine are generally only at the Foundation Establishment stage, with the occasional one at the Origin Stage.
Because of this characteristic, regardless of their level, cultivators primarily travel by flying.
The unique environment greatly limits the methods of cultivators. The magical abilities of cultivators are suppressed to a great extent, and they can only fight using physical magical artifacts.
Ji An glanced at him and said:
"The Primordial Mine is a place that existed since the birth of this planet and has remained unchanged through the passage of time."
I have a guess about the aura you sensed; I'll tell you after I understand it better.
He faces greater restrictions here, but his magical power is strong enough that even if it is weakened, it is still powerful enough.
Besides, Ji An also has physical spiritual treasures. The spiritual treasures he specially prepared for the Vast Ocean Realm haven't been of much use, but he can show off his power in the mines.
This place puts cultivators in a situation where they have to compete with demons in terms of qi and blood, but the impact is much smaller on Buddhist cultivators and demons because of their different paths.
Based on the information he had, he believed that the peculiar aura was similar to that of the original planet's inhabited land of savage beasts.
Essentially, it is a higher-level power of spiritual energy, thus capable of interfering with the perception of cultivators at the Three Flowers Realm.
However, all things in the world are evolved from the yin and yang energies, and this absolute spiritual power can be considered a very special yin-attribute energy.
If one has a deep enough understanding of the power of Yin and Yang, one can resist interference to a great extent.
To draw a conclusion about the specifics, one must experience it firsthand.
The two used their magic to fly, but their speed was not fast, according to the map in their hands.
Maps are the eyes; their accuracy must be ensured for in-depth exploration.
The mine tunnels are interconnected, with a drop of three to seven or eight zhang between the upper and lower walls. Lighting is provided by fluorescent substances in the stone walls or special spiritual plants.
About an hour later, Ji An stopped:
"Judging from the current comparison, the map is quite accurate. Let's use our teleportation technique to descend vertically to the second level."
According to the map, the vertical drop point is a karst cave with an underground lake covering several tens of acres.
The lake water is very acidic and contains ferocious aquatic monsters.
Ji An urged the golden light to descend straight down, but it took more than ten seconds to reach a vertical height of about ten miles. In the outside world, two seconds would have been enough, and the amount of magic power consumed was significantly greater.
His mind became cautious, and the resistance was greater than expected.
He was suspended in the air at this moment, sensing the aura of water and discerning that some kind of toxin permeated the air.
Putting aside his cultivation level, his physical body was also extremely powerful. Even if it didn't reach the level of a demon beast of the same rank, it was not far off. The mere toxins couldn't harm him in the slightest; they were even absorbed into his body and turned into nourishment for the Wood Element Divine Palace.
A thick fog filled the space, obscuring Ji An's vision.
He flicked his fingertips downwards, and a golden flame, like that fired from a flamethrower, burst forth, scorching the surrounding mist.
Then he saw the scene below clearly; it was indeed a body of water, the dark green color carrying an ominous meaning.
Tiny ripples spread across the lake's surface, suggesting that some kind of creature had just been resting there.
A strong stench permeated the air, similar to the smell of a rotting corpse, making one want to vomit; the mist was unclean.
Ji An waved his sleeves, his hand seals changing as he smoothly released the Frost Wind Technique while maintaining the output of flames.
Seemingly attracted by the firelight, a strange fish with sharp teeth in its mouth rushed out.
Just then, a cold wind fell, and the water surface, the splashes, and the strange fish, all within a radius of ten feet, froze instantly.
The black, monstrous fish's body was covered with a layer of white frost, as if it had undergone a beauty treatment; its ferocious appearance was its last pride.
Ji An glanced at it indifferently, flew around the lake once, the flames ignited the mist, and the dust and odor molecules in the air were frozen by the cold wind.
After he finished clearing the area, Wuyue Sanren arrived late.
"Your Majesty, how long have you been here?"
"Twelve or thirteen breaths."
Ji An raised the jade map and continued:
"It seems the map is accurate. Let's check the map again and then head to the entrance to the third floor."
"Yes, ma'am."
The two continued on their journey, occasionally encountering attacks from flying monsters, which they easily dealt with.
Ji An discovered that he could still fly at a relatively fast speed when activating the Golden Light of the Earth on the fifth level, but his flying speed dropped drastically on the sixth level, becoming much slower than his actual flight speed.
After five days of exploration, they reached the seventh floor.
Currently, it can be confirmed that the map is over 80% accurate, and the map of the Zhang family of Baiyashan is still trustworthy.
Having found a secluded mine tunnel, Ji An set up the Nine-Bend Heavenly River Formation.
The moment the magic array was activated, it flashed with a light like water, then transformed into the shape of rocks, dividing the mine tunnel in two.
He took out a pile of top-grade spirit stones and handed them over, saying:
"Our mana has been depleted these past few days and hasn't been fully replenished. After you've replenished your mana, rest for a day before setting off again."
Creatures at the Three Flower Realm level possess the Laws of the Cave Heaven within their bodies. Entering another's small world may pose unknown risks, so the other party can only stay outside.
The Hermit of Five Mountains waved his hand, pushing the offered hand back:
"Haha, no need. I also have a reserve of top-grade spirit stones. I'll ask Your Majesty for more when I run out."
Ji An smiled and nodded, then, after accepting the spirit stones, instructed:
"Alright, you need to be careful of your surroundings while you're outside. The earth veins here are not suitable for setting up formations. The formations rely entirely on top-grade spirit stones to activate them."
I'll send Yue Ling'er and Da Huang out to assist you in guarding the area later. Notify me immediately if anything happens.
He entered the small world, and the gourd-shaped stone, which had not appeared in this world for a long time, came into view.
Soft spiritual light illuminated the space within the magic circle, and the sun, moon, and stars appeared above the rock wall, enacting the rising and setting of the sun and moon; water rippled below, with fish swimming happily in it, and flowers, grass, and green trees surrounding the edges of the water.
When the illusory sun appeared, Wuyue Sanren felt warmth; when the sun set and the moon rose, he felt coldness.
He could smell the scent of grass and various flowers, and hear the splashing sound of fish leaping out of the water.
Wu Yue Sanren sighed inwardly, 'Your Majesty's small world laws are becoming increasingly perfect; I wonder what level they have reached now.'
Three days later, Ji An and his companion set off again, full of energy.
The golden retriever shrank to about a foot long and stood on its owner's shoulder, its fluffy tail swishing rhythmically.
They randomly chose a direction to fly in and compared their flight path with the map. If there were any discrepancies, they recorded the changes in another jade slip.
Ji An suddenly stopped and landed on the ground. There was a person in the crevice of the rock.
The man leaned against the stone wall, his eyes filled with terror as he looked in his direction.
Several white worms, no thicker than a hair, crawled out of the person's mouth and into their nostrils. It looked disgusting and gave off a strange sense of horror.
The Hermit of the Five Mountains also landed, and after probing with his divine sense for a moment, he said:
"Judging from the degree of preservation of the body, this person should have died seven or eight days ago, at most half a month ago."
"You guessed wrong. This person's cultivation level should be at the late stage of the Three Flowers Realm. He died at least two months ago."
Ji An shared his assessment: years ago, he had obtained the skeleton of a cultivator at the late stage of the Three Flowers Realm, and the strength and characteristics of the skeleton indicated the cultivator's level in life.
The bones of Buddhist and demonic cultivators are different from those of immortal cultivators, so he was able to determine that the corpse was an immortal cultivator.
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"This was definitely not done by a demonic beast. It must have been ambushed by a Buddhist or demonic cultivator, who managed to escape here by sheer luck."
He made his judgment, feeling immense regret.
After a cultivator dies, the small world refined within their body will leave, and it is unknown where it will end up. It should contain all of the deceased's assets.
Ji An carefully examined the deceased's body repeatedly and said with relief:
"The blood remaining in the opponent's body is far less than normal, which is very likely the work of a demonic cultivator. I wonder if this person's nascent soul can escape."
If the opponent's Nascent Soul cultivator manages to escape, there will be a chance for them to rise again. However, if they are annihilated, it will only leave one with a deep sense of regret.
However, if it was indeed done by demonic cultivators, the condition of the deceased's nascent soul is extremely worrying.
Wuyue Sanren scratched his head, "It's not peaceful here. I wonder how many cultivators' lives this mine has swallowed."
But then again, their death is actually a good thing for us; Your Majesty can cremate their body and use it as fertilizer.
Ji An nodded, "Right here and now."
The fact that the other party was able to escape here indicates that potential enemies have not been found, so this place should be safe.
He quickly set up the magic array, then activated the Yin-Yang Spirit Fire to start burning it, and two days later he obtained a urn of ashes.
Ji An shook the urn and sighed:
"This is profiting from the dead. If we encounter a demonic cultivator, we must kill him to avenge him."
This is the ashes of a fifth-tier top-grade cultivator; its quality is better than the skeleton I obtained before.
With this urn of ashes as fertilizer, another spiritual root of heaven and earth will benefit in the gourd world.
Three days later, Ji An and his companion found a Taoist robe lying in the middle of the mine tunnel.
He stopped a short distance away, subconsciously looked around, and then extended his divine sense to make sure there was nothing dangerous before activating his object manipulation technique to grab the Taoist robe in his hand.
Seeing his solemn expression, Wuyue Sanren asked:
"Your Majesty, what have you discovered?"
"From the lingering aura on the Taoist robe, we can tell that the owner of the robe was killed cleanly and efficiently, about four or five days ago."
Only creations of the Blood Soul type can achieve this kind of effect.
These spells have a long history and are malevolent spells left over from the tradition of witchcraft.
Demon cultivators use their own blood and qi as a guide to nurture demonic souls that can devour the flesh and nascent souls of cultivators.
These kinds of demonic souls can devour a cultivator entirely with a single pounce, obliterating all flesh and bones without damaging their robes.
Wu Yue Sanren's heart immediately tightened. "Your Majesty, there are demonic cultivators spying outside. We must be extremely careful."
The journey had been very smooth until they arrived at an area where fifth-tier spiritual objects could be unearthed, at which point they encountered a series of perilous events.
It's hard to say whether they were lucky or unlucky, but they just happened to meet in the maze-like mine tunnels.
Encountering dead people one after another is certainly unlucky, but it also served as a reminder, giving them clear precautions.
Ji An's expression was solemn. "I cannot confirm the level of the demon soul. We should proceed with the search more slowly rather than making a big fuss."
He reached out and touched the golden retriever's soft, fluffy fur. After pondering for a moment, he connected to the gourd world and entrusted A-Yun to deliver ten talismans.
This contains the Purifying Spirit Talisman and the Yin-Yang Divine Thunder Talisman, both prepared for the trip to the Vast Sea Realm. The Purifying Spirit Talisman has been used, but the Yin-Yang Divine Thunder Talisman has never been used in actual combat.
These purification talismans are all sealed beneath the bark of the Bodhi tree in the gourd world. Among the Bodhi trees are plants that have been elevated to the mid-grade level of the fifth rank, which have nurtured the talismans to the fifth rank as well.
With the Purification Talisman, one can resist environmental interference and attacks targeting the Nascent Soul.
He told the other party the secret method for activating the talisman, and then said:
"I will summon a group of puppets to scout out our surroundings."
You don't need to worry too much. As long as you remain vigilant, it's unlikely you'll be ambushed by a demonic cultivator.
Wu Yue Sanren accepted the talisman and felt at ease. "Thank you for bestowing this treasure upon me, Your Majesty!"
(End of this chapter)
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